HourStack

Overview

HourStack is a time scheduling and time management tool founded in the United States in 2015, positioned in the productivity space. Its core idea is to "put work hours into the calendar": teams drag time blocks onto Google Calendar, Outlook and iCal to plan their day, then compare the plan against actual tracked time so they can see what was scheduled versus what really happened. HourStack was later acquired by ClickUp, and its calendar-based scheduling capabilities are being folded into the ClickUp platform.

HourStack provides two views - a planner and a timesheet - and organizes time by project, task and client, with team scheduling, workload views and integrations with common tools. For product, marketing and engineering teams that run on a calendar rhythm, HourStack connects scheduling and tracking into one flow; see productivity tool collection for related time management options.

Key Strengths

• Calendar-based scheduling: Drag-and-drop time blocks at 15-minute granularity on Google Calendar, Outlook and iCal make planning and execution visible in one place.
• Plan-to-actual comparison: Two views compare planned time blocks against actual tracked hours, helping teams review scheduling accuracy.
• Team scheduling and workload views: See workload distribution by member, project and client to spot overloading or idle time.
• Integrations with common tools: Native connections to Slack, Jira, Asana, Trello and Basecamp let scheduling data flow back into existing workflows.
• Part of the ClickUp ecosystem: Since the acquisition, its scheduling and time tracking capabilities work alongside ClickUp's tasks and calendar.

Product Ecosystem

Time Block Planner

Drag-and-drop time blocks on the calendar to plan projects, tasks and meetings at 15-minute granularity, with reusable templates for common blocks.

Timesheet

Track actual hours by project, task and client, compare them with planned blocks, and support manual entry and approval flows.

Team Scheduling

Review workload and availability across members to plan cross-team scheduling and time off.

Integrations

Sync with Google Calendar, Outlook and iCal, plus integrations with Slack, Jira, Asana, Trello and Basecamp, coordinating data with the ClickUp platform.

API

An open API lets teams connect scheduling and time data to internal systems.

Limitations

• Slower standalone development: After the ClickUp acquisition, new features land in the ClickUp platform first, so teams should track the product roadmap for the standalone app.
• No deep monitoring: Focused on calendar-based time management, it offers no screenshots or activity-level supervision for teams that need strong oversight.
• Higher pricing bar: Paid plans are per-seat with limited free seats and projects, so multi-user teams pay more than with some free time tracking tools.
• Lighter mobile experience: Complex scheduling and reporting are best handled on the web.

Use Cases

• Calendar-driven teams (recommended ★★★★★): Product, marketing and engineering teams whose work follows a daily calendar rhythm naturally fit calendar-based scheduling.
• Small and mid-size project teams (recommended ★★★★): Organize hours by project and task and compare them with the plan for lightweight scheduling reviews.
• Teams needing deep monitoring (recommended ★★): Without screenshots or activity levels, consider Hubstaff for supervision-heavy needs.
• ClickUp users (recommended ★★★★): Teams already collaborating in ClickUp can use its calendar-based scheduling capabilities seamlessly.

Pricing

Note: Since HourStack joined ClickUp, standalone plan details may change; see the official HourStack and ClickUp sites for current pricing.

FAQ

• How is HourStack different from ordinary time tracking tools? HourStack focuses on calendar-based scheduling - planning hours with drag-and-drop time blocks first, then comparing them with actual tracking - while tools like Toggl Track and Clockify lean toward timer-to-report workflows; compare options in productivity tool collection.

• Is HourStack still operated independently? It was acquired by ClickUp, and its calendar-based scheduling capabilities are being integrated into the ClickUp platform; existing users should watch product announcements and plan their long-term path with remote team toolchain.

• Which calendars does HourStack support? It supports Google Calendar, Outlook and iCal, letting you drag time blocks directly onto the calendar with two-way sync; see productivity tool collection for scheduling practices.

• Is there a free plan? Yes. The free plan supports small teams of up to 3 users with basic scheduling and time tracking; multi-user collaboration and advanced features require a paid plan, and freelance work management tips can help individuals get started.